The idea of letting go of staff before Christmas may sound “callous” upon first thought, however Briscoe Consulting have another take on this highly debatable subject.

We completely understand the potential emotional effect of someone losing their job just before Christmas, but we also question why some organisations wait until people have had their break, come back to work and then find out a few weeks in that the New Year does not involve them keeping their jobs. It is like delaying a brutal truth that might have been better delivered earlier.

We believe that with Christmas being a quieter time in the market, it’s an opportunity for displaced candidates to get all their ducks in a row for the New Year.

  • Receiving redundancy news can be a highly emotional time and displaced employees will often find themselves feeling angry, fearful and/or ashamed. These feelings are often unfounded and employees need the time to adjust to their situation, have the space to grieve, and regain control and confidence before entering the job hunter marketplace.
  • Spending time with people we love can be the best therapy and often gives us perspective. Christmas is the perfect time for bonding and quality time that helps with the healing process.
  • Preparing to market yourself in the best possible way can be time consuming. There is no better time than when the market is a little quieter so you are not “doing half jobs” in rushing applications.
    Key areas that need attention include:

    • Preparing a contemporary and marketable resumeredundant man
    • Developing a strong online profile with a consistent brand to your resume
    • Taking the time to self-evaluate your passions, strengths and motivators so that you can better reflect on your new career direction
    • Develop a robust job search strategy and activity plan ready to hit the ground running come mid-January.

 

Notably the Perth market place does go into near hibernation over the December / January period. That being said there will be organisations out there who are still recruiting; for some companies it is even their busiest time of the year. Applying for roles that come up over the break could be more fruitful, application numbers will be lower and processes may be faster if the need is urgent.

With all these positive reasons to do your downsizing exercises sooner rather than later, you still want to avoid potential brand damage by letting staff go the week before Christmas. You also need to allow your leadership team the time to communicate with staff about the changes and reassure remaining staff. Don’t leave it so late that these messages won’t be received properly as people have “switched off” as the holidays season nears close. We recommend taking action before end of November.

Considering how busy a time it can be for all of us, don’t forget to use our Redundancy Checklist to ensure nothing is forgotten during the process.

 

Rose Voce, Senior Consultant